How many screws to mount a wall cabinet?

So, I figure that the cabinet comes in at somewhere around 89 lbs (empty).

The cabinet is 42" high. I don't know if that is unusual, and would explain the extra weight.

The sides and shelves appear to be a good quality MDF. The facings and doors are solid maple.

The maple is a pain in the a$$ to drill through, but it sure is gorgeous.

BTW, I only have 2 studs to mount on. They had 19" between the studs in this area of my laundry room, for some reason.

I've looked at the cabinets that are already in the house that were installed by the builder (by the same model/manufacturer). I may be missing something, but it looks like some of the cabinets are mounted with only 4 screws, even some of the 45" wide cabinets.

Maybe they have some of the screws behind some of the shelves? Or maybe 4 is enough?

How many screws to mount a wall cabinet?

If you look at the back of the cabinet from the outside, do you see any strips of wood? Usually 1x4. These will be the only place you can screw thru. If the back of the cabinet is solid MDF keep the screws near the top and bottom edges. Is there a reveal underneath at the rear where you could add an extra screw? That would add a safety measure.

How many screws to mount a wall cabinet?

If it is a solid mdf cabinet you should have a 3" nailer on the top and bottom of the inside of the cabinet. Use 2 #8 3" screws on the top and 2 on the bottom to screw into the studs. Should hold just fine. Does it have a nailer?

If you look at the back of the cabinet from the outside, do you see any strips of wood? Usually 1x4. These will be the only place you can screw thru. If the back of the cabinet is solid MDF keep the screws near the top and bottom edges. Is there a reveal underneath at the rear where you could add an extra screw? That would add a safety measure.

The back of the cabinet was solid MDF. I followed your advice, and mounted the cabinet with a total of 6 screws in the two studs.

There was a slightly longer than 1" MDF surround on the top & bottom of the cabinet that was outside of the cabinet interior. I ran two screws through the back rail at the top. I then ran two screws near the top and two screws near the bottom inside the cabinet, using finishing (cup) washers to get more head surface area to hold the cabinet.

Definitely not a professional installation by me, but I'm definitely not a professional

That said, the cabinet is spot-on level, shimmed properly, and seems rock-solid. All I have left is to cut a couple of quarter-round trim pieces, and my first cabinet mounting will be complete.

How many screws to mount a wall cabinet?

You don't mention if the cabinet is being mounted directly to the studs or through a wall covering like 1/2" sheetrock and then into the stud.
For that weight cabinet, I'd be installing blocking inside the wall so the 2 stud issue is moot.
Going through 1/2" sheetrock, I'd be using at least 6, 3" screws with a washer type head. Eight if the contents were also heavy.

How many screws to mount a wall cabinet?

Quote:

Originally Posted by Ron6519

You don't mention if the cabinet is being mounted directly to the studs or through a wall covering like 1/2" sheetrock and then into the stud.
For that weight cabinet, I'd be installing blocking inside the wall so the 2 stud issue is moot.
Going through 1/2" sheetrock, I'd be using at least 6, 3" screws with a washer type head. Eight if the contents were also heavy.

Thanks, Ron -

That's a very good point - I'm going through the sheetrock, so I guess I'll be buying some 3" washer-head screws. I don't expect the cabinet contents to be too heavy, so I'll just replace my 6 existing screws, one at a time.